A feature I have found much needed but missing across practically all e-commerce and DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) brand websites and apps is the ability to be able to paste a web-link to a product listing in the search bar and locate the product. Imagine a scenario where, you are on your phone browser searching for a…
“As a leader, you have to show up. You’ve got to conduct business reviews. You can’t be detached and removed and absent. When you go to an operation and you run a review of the business, the people may not like what you tell them, but they will say, “At least he cares enough about…
Not sure if this is a more common pattern, but it has been my observation at least with regard to a bunch of friends who are active on Instagram that they have considerably reduced posts, but their reels (guessing that’s the 24 hour ones?) might have gone up a bit. I’m not sure if they…
I recently watched the 2006 political action thriller, ‘The Sentinel.’ It had a character follow this practice that is old, obvious and practical, but is hardly used nowadays. In the movie, a senior Secret Service agent tasked with managing the US President’s movement from point A to point B, (obviously) has two or three options…
Part 4 was about how we should proactively try to improve or disrupt where necessary, the inefficient parts of the sector or space we work in. And now, arguably the most valuable lesson I was taught, something that ties up all previous learnings. In 2015, I had first stumbled upon design thinking when I signed…
Part 4 of a series of posts aimed at young professionals. The world is getting increasingly confusing. Here are some of my learnings. In the last post (here), I mentioned the need for taking bold/ tough decisions. And the benefits they bring. And that you can’t usually create your best work from a place of…
Back in the day when batteries in remote controls ran low, they would be working one moment and not the next, right? Apparently though, based on how different remotes are designed and how power is distributed, different buttons and functions are affected differently when power starts running low. I noticed this over the weekend when…
Part 3 of a series of posts aimed at young professionals. The world is getting increasingly confusing. Here are some of my learnings. Previous post here. As an innovation and strategy consultant, I have had the occasional prospect haggle over fees from day one. When one of the first prospects reached out within days of…
There are brilliant behavioural science wizards across the world unfortunately employed with companies that have them busy finding behavioural science tactics to quickly build trust among customers. And maybe it works sometimes. To my knowledge though, the cleanest way to build trust, is to go with trustworthy intentions, and be absolutely transparent in matters. What…
Our present realities can get very grey with information overload, misinformation, and fake news. Which is why this news from last week was so interesting. In the recent Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, supporters and politicians from parties that lost, claimed the electronic voting machines were rigged. Some cited electronic voting machines suspiciously did not lose…
Part 2 of a series of posts for young professionals and entrepreneurs. Reflections from 12 years as a freelance innovation and strategy consultant in an increasingly chaotic world. As I mentioned in my last post, to find your niche, you need to explore diverse work first, then narrow your focus. In the early days of…
Starting broad and following your instincts can lead you to your true niche. Instead of rushing to define yourself, embrace the exploration process—it can open doors you never expected.
When companies create products, focus often tends to be on maximizing perceived value and profitability (within the respective value category). It’s like they are looking outward, being reactive (to competitors), and playing their part in a herd. Yet every once in a rare while, comes a product that has been built so thoughtfully, you begin…
Many Rolls Royce cars have a sheer vertical drop front design. And while they are extremely powerful and can go fast, they normally don’t, because they are meant to transport their occupants safely, in luxury, and in a refined manner, not to indulge in drag races. And so the vertical drop might be alright on…
When a regular business operation comes across something new, could be a new ingredient, a new brand of ingredient, a new brand or type of packaging, and so on, it must try to do some homework before making it a part of its routine. This one’s for restaurants and small eateries that use dry ice….